The present invention relates to the field of wearing apparel, and more particularly it relates to a detachable and disposable sweatband that can be removably attached to apparel such as headwear for protecting the eyes and face against sweat from strenuous exercise, sports and/or hot/humid weather.
For both indoor and outdoor physical activity, it is common to wear a cap of some kind: e.g. a peak cap or sun visor for sun shade and vision purposes. With vigorous exercise and/or in hot/humid weather conditions, perspiration from the head and forehead can be profuse, running down into the eyes and other parts of the face and body to an extent that can range from annoyance, discomfort and disfiguring of ladiesxe2x80x2 facial cosmetics, to potential serious danger, where control of a moving vehicle, e.g. an automobile, boat or even a bicycle, is placed at risk.
Headwear such as hats, caps and visors are often fitted with a moisture-repellant sweatband whose purpose is only to prevent head sweat from soiling the fabric of the cap. Without such a sweatband, the headwear itself would repeatedly absorb sweat and soon become fouled to an extent that it would at least require cleaning or more likely become worthless and discarded.
Absorbent sweatbands have been known and used; some affixed permanently to the headwear and others removable; however these soon become soiled and require costly laundering or costly replacement of either the sweatband or the entire headwear.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,534 to May for a CAP WITH DETACHABLE SWEATBAND discloses a brimless adjustable cap particularly for indoor exercise such as weight-lifting, fitted with a removable semi-circumferential sweatband for absorbing perspiration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,210 to Konucik for a QUICK-CHANGE Sweatband discloses a loop pile fastener adhered permanently to the existing sweatband or garment and a hook pile fastener similarly secured to an absorbent band or pad for engagement with the loop pile fastener.
In the foregoing patents and many others found in prior art the band or pad is intended to be removed for replacement and washing when needed, rather than being disposable. Furthermore sweatbands of prior art are conventionally made from a single layer of material, consequently the capacity for absorbing moisture is very limited, requiring frequent costly replacement and/or laundering.
Prior art replaceable type sweatband structure requires the headgear to be originally manufactured with the necessary attachment provisions and arrangements, and thus are not applicable to or compatible with existing headwear.
A partially-related patent application 2000-017524-4 for a CAP/HAT WITH DETACHABLE SWEAT/MAKE-UP PROTECTION COTTON BAND has been filed by the present inventor, K. H. Shin in the Republic of Korea.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a a sweatband that can be easily installed in the headband region of existing headwear.
It is a further object to make the sweatband inexpensive so that it can be regarded as disposable and economically replaced.
It is a further object to provide the sweatband with greater protection and absorbing capacity than prior art and yet to protect both the user and the attached headwear from any negative effects of sweat accumulated in the sweatband.
It is a further object that the sweatband of the invention may be manufactured from low cost readily available materials procured in roll form, in a simple and preferably continuous fabrication process.
The abovementioned objects have been accomplished by the present invention of a detachable disposable sweatband that can be readily manufactured, optionally in an automatic process, from readily-available materials at a low cost that makes it practically disposable, that can be easily attached to the sweatband or interior periphery of existing headware, that, due to the use of a special highly-absorbent composite central element, will absorb a greater amount of sweat than comparable sweatbands of prior art and thus provide superior protection to the wearer""s eyes and face. One side of the sweatband is provided with a tacky adhesive attachment strip or coating so that it can be easily detached. discarded and replaced.
The simplicity and effectiveness of the sweatband of this invention renders it highly versatile and potentially beneficial in many different fields of usage and endeavor; for example, in processing of foods, nutritional substances, medical products and the like in a clean-room environment, it is extremely important to safely manage head sweat which could otherwise contaminate the products, the wearer""s skin, clothing or other items in the clean-room environment.